Knowledge is power. That's a wise phrase to live by - or to rely upon as a basketball player.
The more you understand the game, the better you can play it. No player in Lady Demon basketball history has better exemplified that than Amanda Bennett Aguilar.
There are plenty of entries listing her in the Lady Demon record book. She certainly had plenty of ability, but it was her understanding of the nuances of the game that set her in the upper echelon of players in school history and among her contemporaries in the Southland Conference.
Aguilar, who played forward for the Lady Demons from 2000-05 was married in May 2006, is only one of only 11 Lady Demons ever to reach the twin career milestones of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
The 5-11 product of Simpson in nearby Vernon Parish ranks 20th on NSU's all-time career scoring list with 1,163 points. She is 12th on the all-time rebounding list with 599. In 109 games played (63 starts), she averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and made 177 three-pointers, sinking 34 percent from behind the arc, not bac for a player who tried only two treys while playing post as she was a three-time all-state selection for two state championship teams. In her career, NSU had 80-37 record, including winning the 2004 SLC championship.
She was voted 20044 SLC Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year and made the 2005 SLC All-Academic Tea. She was the only Louisiana and SLC representative on the 10-women 2004 CoSIDAÂ Academic All-District VI team.
A 2003-04 All-SLC first team selection she was voted to the 2003-04 All-Tournament team as the regular-season champion Lady Demons won the tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. In her senior season, she led NSU to 17 wins and made the 2004-05 All-SLC second team.
Since her playing career ended she couldn't get away from the program. Staying around the offices while helping administrative assistant Mandy Walmsley, she developed a relationship and began dating assistant coach David Aguilar. After a year's courtship, they were married last May and they are expecting their first child. This summer, she officially joined the coaching staff.
